Does autonomous moral reasoning favor consequentialism?

This paper addresses an important issue that has been commonly debated in moral psychology, namely the normative and metaethical implications of our differing intuitive responses to morally indistinguishable dilemmas. The prominent example of the asymmetry in our responses is that people often intuitively accept pulling a switch and deny pushing as a morally permissible way of sacrificing an innocent person to save more innocent people. Joshua Greene traces our negative responses to actions involving “up close and personal” harm back to our evolutionary past and argues that this undermines the normative power of deontological judgments. I reject Greene’s argument by arguing that our theoretical moral intuitions, as opposed to concrete and mid-level ones, are independent of direct evolutionary influence because they are the product of autonomous (gene-independent) moral reasoning. I then explain how both consequentialist and deontological theoretical intuitions, which enable us to make important moral distinctions and grasp objective moral facts, are produced by the exercise of autonomous moral reasoning and the process of cultural evolution. My conclusion will be that Greene is not justified in his claim that deontology is normatively inferior to consequentialism.

Reasoning Model and Moral Simulation to Improve Students’ Social Skills: A Focused Look at Emotional Intelligence

Education serves the purpose of cultivating the capacity to shape character and civilisation in a dignified manner to advance the nation's intellectual life. Social studies education is an affective domain subject because it teaches students to see knowledge in social interactions and to apply it directly in the community environment. This study compares students' social skills acquired through moral reasoning-based cooperative learning to those acquired through simulation-based cooperative learning in order to determine the effectiveness of simulation-based and moral reasoning-based cooperative learning in improving students' social skills, as well as the interaction between the two. This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a comparative approach. The study was conducted in classes VIII A and VIII B, with 27 students and 26 students, respectively, at SMP N 27 Pesawaran, Lampung Province, Indonesia. The findings of this study indicate a significant difference in social skills between students taught using the Moral Reasoning cooperative learning model and students taught using the Simulation cooperative learning model in social studies subjects. Learning that employs the Moral Reasoning learning model is more effective than learning that employs the Simulation one. Received: 2 September 2021 / Accepted: 5 December 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022

Professional moral courage and moral reasoning among nurses in clinical environments: a multivariate model

Improving ethical practice needs recognizing the relationship between moral reasoning and moral courage among nurses. We examined factors (moral reasoning, practical consideration, moral dilemmas familiarity, and demographic and work characteristics) associated with moral courage among nurses. A cross-sectional design was run at all five hospitals affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in west of Iran. A proportionate random sampling due to the total size of the nurse population in each hospital, 224 eligible nurses were completed the study questionnaires: demographic-work characteristics, Professional Moral Courage (PMC), and Nursing Dilemma Test. The relationships were examined by multiple regression analysis. Participants reported a more than moderate level of moral reasoning and PMC (43.21±5.98 and 56.16±10.18 respectively). The multivariate model showed the nurses’ PMC is positively predisposed with moral reasoning (β=0.21, p<0.01), but negatively with practical consideration (β=-0.16, p<0.01). More moral courage was found in the nurses who were never married (p<0.001), graduated from a public university (p<0.01), working in the critical care and emergency environments, as well as night shifts (all p<0.001). Moral reasoning is a predictor of moral courage, and both should be considered in designing nursing education to improve ethical nursing practice.

Penalaran Moral dan Perilaku Menyontek: Deskripsi Tingkatan serta Korelasinya pada Siswa

Based on the preliminary study, it’s known that cheating behaviour is major problem for the education sector. The aim of this research is examine the correlation between moral reasoning and cheating behaviour of senior high school students. Current research is quantitative research with correlational method. 282 samples were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Moral reasoning variable were measured using psychological scale based on the level of moral reasoning according to Kohlberg’s theory and cheating behaviour variable were measured using psychological scale based on cheating behaviour indicators. Data were analysed using Product Moment correlation technique. After analysing the data, the results revealed there is significant negative relationship between moral reasoning and cheating behaviour (r=-.265, p.05) among senior high school students indicating when moral reasoning is high then cheating behaviour is low, and vice versa. It is expected that the continuation of this research can find interventions to reduce cheating behaviour.

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MORAL REASONING AND CRITICAL THINKING IN TEACHER STUDY PROGRAMMES IN SLOVAKIA

Introduction: Since both components critical thinking and moral reasoning are considered to be major phenomena, the development of which is a priority of all world education policies, they are paid a lot of attention in foreign countries. However, foreign studies have only made a little mention of examining their relationship and integrity as well as until recently, each dimension has been examined separately in Slovakia and there is no piece of evidence showing the relationship between them. Based on this, we have formulated the following scientific problem: Is there a relationship between critical thinking and moral reasoning? Methods and respondents: The basic measurement tool of our research was the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal used to determine the level of critical thinking. The level of moral reasoning was investigated by Lind´s Moral Competence Test. The examined sample consisted of the available selection of the 2nd and 3rd year teacher study programme students for lower and upper secondary education at the University of Prešov in Prešov (N = 241) and the testing itself was realized in the academic year 2020/2021. Results: Our research shows that the average value of the gross score in critical thinking of the teacher students is M = 43.26 (SD = 5.09) and the achieved average numeric value of moral judgment expressed by the C-score is M = 21.15 (SD = 12.88). Based on the Pearson Correlation results, we were discussing whether the calculated value of the correlation coefficient indicates the relationship between critical thinking and moral reasoning and whether there is a relationship between moral reasoning and individual cognitive components of critical thinking and the results of the research show interesting findings about the relationship between critical and moral reasoning of teacher students. Conclusion: The conclusions of the research lead us to redesign the undergraduate training of future teachers in the context of the World Economic Forum challenges and the support for minds of the future according to H. Gardner - critical, creative, disciplined, ethical and tolerant - as a critical and moral integrity.

Assessing Moral Judgment Maturity Using the Sociomoral Reflection Measure – Short Form Objective

The Sociomoral Reflection Measure – Short Form Objective (SRM-SFO) aims to assess the reasoning and valuing components of moral judgment. A new index for measuring moral reasoning is introduced. The first study assessed construct validity by examining the structure and invariance of moral reasoning and moral value evaluation in community adolescents and adults from The Netherlands ( N = 1,583). Factor analyses supported the unidimensionality of both components. Measurement invariance was found across age groups, gender, and educational levels. Convergent validity was supported by positive relationships between moral reasoning and age in males and between moral reasoning and higher educational levels. Divergent validity was supported by the weak relationship of both components with social desirability and their negative relationship with self-centered orientation and self-reported antisocial/delinquent behavior. The second study included incarcerated juvenile delinquents ( N = 246). Measurement invariance was found for both components across delinquency groups. Furthermore, community participants reporting no antisocial/delinquent behavior showed higher levels on both components than community participants reporting antisocial/delinquent behavior and juvenile delinquents. The SRM-SFO provides acceptable to good psychometric properties for assessing the reasoning and valuing components of moral judgment. Its practical benefits support its use in large-scale research from young adolescence onward.